What I Longed For
by PyroTheWereCat
Summary: Ever since that awful night of blood and fear David has been withdrawn and meek. He isn't used to people caring about him so what kind of game are the nurses playing with him? SEQUEL TO SHORT FILM


_A/N: Because David needs more love! Nobody seems to remember him anymore and I've gotta say, along with Adam, he's my favorite. I guess I'm attracted to the sarcastic assholish guys who are really just shy and lonely and maybe a little messed up. ^_^ That and both parts are played by the wonderful Leigh Whannell. XD_

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_"Hello, David." "I want to play a game." "Most people are so ungrateful to be alive...but not you. Not anymore..."_

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David woke screaming, as he had done nearly every night since that horrific experience in the warehouse. He heard the voice, saw the body...the blood...So much blood...David held up his hands to examine them in the dark. Shaking tremendously but clean. He brought them up farther and buried his face in them. The cold sweat clung to him like a too-tight wool sweater, uncomfortable but inescapable. A sudden craving came over him then and he reached for the nightstand to his left.

"Smokes, smokes, smokes..." he mumbled, his jittery fingers groping for the pack and lighter. Once he had secured both objects he promptly placed a deathstick between his dry lips and proceeded to light it. Once the smooth smoke entered his lungs he felt relaxed and began to slow his breathing. _At this rate I'll end up in the psycho ward_, he thought bitterly. But then another thought crossed his mind. _Is this better than being dead?_ David couldn't be sure. It was true before the incident he was an incurable asshole who couldn't care less about anything or anyone, even himself. He had no drive, no fear except for maybe the fear of growing up and taking responsibility. A thin shiver passed over his slight frame. _Was that why he picked me?_ he wondered. After the fact, David had become more meek and polite. One of the nurses at the hospital had mentioned he seemed like a completely different person.

"Maybe I am..." he whispered, "Maybe I'm just dead inside." He took a long drag on his cigarette and held it, remembering the mortal terror on the paralyzed man's face as David killed him, wondering what must have been going through the poor guy's head in his final moments. _What must he have thought of me?_ Up until that night David had never wondered nor cared what others thought of him, preferring to intentionally piss them off. _I hate who I am now...But I hate who I used to be even more..._Staring blankly, David breathed,

"Did he help me?" The mess following his 'test' had been worse than waking up not knowing where he was, a rusted contraption designed to rip his face off strapped to his head. Of course the police hadn't believed him at first when he told them he'd just been forced to kill someone. They immediately arrested him and brought him in for a grueling investigation. Though he'd gone over the details time and time again, they still thought he was crazy. He remembered sitting for hours in that frightening room, crying helplessly, desperately wondering why this had happened to him.

_"I didn't do anything to deserve this!"_ he'd claimed,_ "I never wanted to hurt anyone!"_ The trial was worse than the interrogations. It dragged on for what felt like an eternity, the dead man's family accusing David of murdering him in cold blood, that David was criminally insane and the city was stupid to let him go free. David had never felt more terrified of people then. He had needed to be excused several times during the trial to cry in the hall. His lawyer had helped him through it though. She had been strong when he could not be and called his co-workers to defend him. Not a single person at the hospital had denied his innocence.

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_"He may be a jerk sometimes but David would never kill anyone."_

_"He couldn't even be near the ER he was so sensitive! We had to make sure he worked anywhere but!"_

_"He's immature...like a child. He doesn't have the heart or the mind to kill someone."_

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Eventually David was found not guilty. It had taken a few minutes for that fact to really sink in, the defense sighing in utmost relief, the prosecution silent in their defeat. It was only when David had left the courthouse that he realized he was not going to be convicted for something some sicko had forced him to do in order to stay alive. It was then that he 'woke up' and began treating those around him with careful respect. He had gone from loud-mouthed to soft-spoken, profoundly brash to radically shy, polar opposites from one single event. And the people around him seemed almost..._happy_ to see him now. They would greet him with a smile instead of annoyance, ask if he needed anything instead of hurriedly trying to get rid of him. At first David felt they only felt bad for him but after a few days he recognized their genuine concern for him and became even shier from embarrassment. The nurse was right; he was a different person now.

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It was nearly two o'clock in the afternoon and David was clocking out for lunch. He heard a group of female voices behind him, speaking rapidly in hushed tones. He turned to see who they were and was surprised at just how close they were. There were five of them, all nurses, and he inwardly berated himself for not remembering all their names. He knew the tall one who always wore her hair in a bun, Katrina, and the oldest one, Mary. Seeing that he noticed them, one of the nameless spoke up.

"Hi, David," she said cheerfully, "Were you heading out?" David nodded, his head and shoulders in their low, passive position he had adopted around people recently.

"Yes," he responded quietly. Katrina nudged the speaker and the two exchanged looks. _I don't get it_, David thought to himself.

"Okay, well, um," the speaker continued, "We were wondering if you wanted to eat with us. You look so sad and lonely all the time." David had to admit he was surprised. The women who might have wished him dead before were now asking to share lunch break with him. He rubbed his wrist shyly.

"Yeah, sure," he said, "I guess, if you want me to." They smiled at him and he felt more uncomfortable.

"Okay, good. Come on, let's get the most out of it." David found himself practically dragged out and brought to the cafe down the block from the hospital. He just sort of drifted along with them, didn't speak or eat anything, just sat with them.

"What's the matter, David?" Katrina asked, touching his arm, "Are you all right?" He looked up at her, at the rest of them...They were all staring at him, varying levels of worry on each of their faces but worry all the same. For the first time in his life David felt accepted and by no will of his own. He lowered his head and bit his lip, moved by the subtle caring of these five women. Katrina, seeing he was upset, pulled him into a hug. He gasped and whimpered several times before he was able to get out any words. But finally he managed to whisper,

"Thank you!" At that point all of them had gotten up to lay their caring arms around him, touching his back, his arms, his hair, filling him with a feeling of security.

"It's okay, David," Mary told him, "Any time you need, we'll be there." Words of agreement circulated through the group and for the first time in a long time David smiled, finally receiving the attention he secretly longed for and consciously pushed away, finally allowing himself to be loved. _Thank you_, he repeated silently, a single tear marking its path down his face, _I'll never take you as a given again._

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_A/N: D'aaaaawwwwwwwww. David made friends! I know this isn't my best writing and I wish I could have mentioned just how LONG all of these events took but I don't know the time mechanics of a court system, especially with murder and manslaughter. Which I FINALLY learned the difference between! Also, Nurse Katrina was named for the actress portraying her in the short film. I thought, judging by the way she spoke to David she kinda had a fondness for the little jerk. I mean, who doesn't? XD_


End file.
